Can Victory make it a fantastic five games unbeaten or will Glory turn their season around? Be there to find out!
Melbourne Victory v Perth Glory
Sunday 20th November, 5.00pm
Can Victory make it a fantastic five games unbeaten or will Glory turn their season around? Be there to find out!
Sunday sees the coming together of two sides that have experienced very different starts to the Hyundai A-League 2011/12 season.
After three wins in their opening three games, Perth Glory have since lost a hat-trick of matches. Conversely, while Melbourne Victory have gotten off to a steady if not spectacular beginning, they continue to grow in confidence and stature with every game.
Now, having laid some solid foundations, they need to start turning draws into wins, so lend your voice to the cause and sing your side to a crucial victory on Sunday!
Last Saturday, the Melbourne side extended their unbeaten run to four games in the Hyundai A-League 2011/12 season by holding the Central Coast Mariners to a 0-0 draw at Bluetongue Stadium.
Had captain Adrian Leijer managed to sneak his flick header the right side of the post, they would have come away with all three points, but, despite having to settle for their fourth draw of the season, there were still lots of positives to take from the performance. With coach Mehmet Durakovic forced into making five changes from the Brisbane game, he was afforded the opportunity to show the strength in depth that his squad has.
Glory come into the game with an all-too familiar feeling of deja vu. Last season they shot out of the blocks only for a horrific winless streak to rip the heart out of their campaign.
While still sitting prettily in third place on the ladder, they will be desperate to avoid the same slump happening in the 2011/12 season, after three straight wins were followed with the same number of defeats. The latest loss came last Saturday at the hands of Sydney FC in a match which somewhat dampened the club’s 15th anniversary celebrations.
However, while the 1-0 scoreline was disappointing, nobody can doubt the effort, skill and spirit that Perth put in, and the home side’s second-half onslaught on their visitors’ goal surely warranted at least a draw. On another day, efforts from Shane Smeltz and a belter from Adam Hughes would have gone in and Glory’s prospects would be looking a whole lot brighter.
Still, they’ll head to Victoria hopeful that they can build on the fine aspects of their play in the Sydney game. A morale-boosting win is just around the corner, can they pull it off this Sunday?
The history books suggest they can’t, as they don’t have a great record against Victory in Melbourne. They have only ever won once there.
However, that single triumph is still relatively fresh in the memory as it came at the start of last season. They’ll be hoping they can reprise that fine performance on Sunday. They’ll be doing it without Travis Dodd though, after scans confirmed he suffered a hamstring tear and will miss at least the next four fixtures.
Games don’t get much more entertaining than what was offered up last time Victory played at Etihad Stadium, with four goals, a penalty and two red cards before half-time. With thrills like that on offer, you’d be crazy not to turn up this weekend to see what happens this time!
Let’s make it another big crowd and a fantastic atmosphere as Victory and Glory aim for three points! Be part of a sensational Sunday!
